01/04/2026
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of founding Board Member Sue Flood Fricke '53.
Sue and her husband, Tom (he was our first Treasurer) were high school sweethearts and we take comfort in the idea that they are together again.
Suzanne Flood Fricke, 90, passed peacefully at her residence in Pawleys Island, SC, on January 2, 2026. Sue was born in Buffalo, NY, on November 3, 1935 to the late Marguerite (Datz) and James J. Flood, and was married to the late Thomas F. Fricke for nearly 60 years. She is the middle child of three and is survived by her older brother, James Flood and his wife, Dorothy, of Jupiter, Florida. She was predeceased by her cherished younger sister, Marguerite M. Schweickert, and is survived by Marge’s devoted husband, George Schweickert, of Bayhead, New Jersey.
Surviving Sue are her son, John F. Fricke and wife Jackie of Jupiter, Florida; daughter Janet Fricke of Pawleys Island, SC; son Robert K. Fricke and wife Cindy of Kailua, Hawaii; daughter Joanne Fricke Craig and husband Ronnie of Pawleys Island, SC; and daughter Patricia Fricke Poulson and husband Mark of Elmhurst, Illinois. She was treasured for her enthusiastic and tireless skills in Uno, Go Fish, Legos, Barbie, and other imaginative games with her 14 grandchildren: Jennifer, Tom, Sean, Patrick, Laura, Brian, Colleen, Kelly, Billy, Ben, Emily, Jimmy, John and Susie. Sue was blessed with 7 great-grandchildren—Maria, Nelson, Parker, Rowan, Evelyn, Alice, and Tommy—and was thrilled to learn she would have added an 8th great-grandchild in June!
Sue was raised in Baldwin, Long Island, with a deep affection for the ocean that swelled in the background of every place she lived. She insisted her children enroll in swimming lessons at an early age and fostered in each of us a profound respect and love of the seashore. Those of us truly fortunate enough to call her “Mom” will recall her excellent vocabulary and penchant for correct grammar—Sue graduated from Skidmore College in 1956 and taught school for many years before focusing her energies on raising her five children. She modeled the importance of reading, and read us the un-Disneyfied, poignant versions of fairy tales like “The Little Mermaid.” Tireless advocates for public education, Sue and her husband Tom were the founders of the Baldwin Foundation for Education, where they endowed a scholarship in the Fricke name for a deserving Baldwin high school student. Sue served in various PTA offices and volunteered extensively in the community to support her children’s activities.
Many of the creative pursuits in our family line are sourced in Sue, who was a lifelong learner—enrolling in home extension cooking classes that included field trips for ingredients in NYC, knitting, crocheting, macrame-ing, caning chairs, and more. She was an avid garage-sale and consignment shopper. She was an early adopter of email technology, which she used to keep us all connected. We would joke with her about whether she included the President of the United States when she forwarded all emails to all family members. It is possible she did.
In this weird world of celebrity and instant fame, it can be difficult to shine an appropriate light on one beautiful life that has affected so many. Invariably, when Sue and Tom would travel, a stranger would suddenly come up and embrace her—knowing her from high school, college, or her years in Baldwin. We came to repeat the maxim, “Everybody loves Sue.” She was on a first-name basis with the fellow slicing luncheon meats at her local Publix—we would know that typical errands would take twice as long because Sue would have to inquire about the health of the wife of the dry cleaner or the progress of the bank teller’s child in school.
Sue’s emblematic quality was kindness—something she demonstrated daily without fanfare. Simply by being in her presence, we understood that you should take a meal to someone who is ill, spend time with someone who is suffering, and—if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. We know that Sue’s grace will ripple through communities across the United States, because each member of the Fricke line has this enduring and powerful gift from her. We are both grateful and honored to have lived in her luminous presence.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sue and Tom Fricke Scholarship Fund at the Baldwin Foundation for Education via postal mail at the following address: Baldwin Foundation For Education, Sue & Tom Fricke Scholarship Fund, PO Box 350, Baldwin, NY 11510. Please put the Fricke Scholarship designation in the memo of your check. Alternatively, you may donate online here by scrolling down to the “DONATE” button, also designating the Sue and Tom Fricke Scholarship Fund in the “NOTES” section: https://baldwinfoundationforeducation.com/membership/
